FILLING

• 1-pound jar creamy peanut butter (about 2 cups) *
• 2/3 cup margarine *
• about 1-1/2 pounds powdered sugar (3-1/2 to 4 cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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COATING

• 12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate or chips
•  1-2 ounces paraffin (1-inch square) optional*
• box of square toothpicks for dipping

* INGREDIENT HINTS:

• ​Low-fat margarine and butter don't work well in this recipe, as they make the balls too soft at room temperature. You can use non-hydrogenated shelf-stable versions of PB and margarine or butter if you prefer, but do not use all-natural. It's too loose a mixture - and this is a candy, after all!
• If you don't have paraffin, you can omit it. The wax just makes the chocolate coating a little more finger friendly!

These no-bake treats are perfect for after-school snacks, post workout pick-me-ups, or team snacks. They're loaded with healthy ingredients and delicious to boot. Just don't eat too many - they pack around 125 calories each.

We made ours in a stand mixer (naturally), which allows you to easily combine tough-to-mix ingredients and double your recipe without wearing out your mixing elbow. The entire measuring and mixing process took less than 10 minutes. After a 30 minute cooling period, the balls came together in about 5 minutes.

Pictured are our selected combinations, based on what we had on hand. Almond butter-chia-almond-golden-raisin; almond butter-chia-coconut-mini chocolate chip; and almond butter-cranberry-white chocolate.

You can substitute your favorites and develop your own combinations using whichever ingredients you find in your pantry. These are gluten-free if you used an oat brand certified as such (Bob's Red Mill makes one) and can also be nut-free with a butter substitution.
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• 3/4 cup rolled, old-fashioned oats
• 1/2-3/4  cup quick oats
• 2 tablespoons “healthy mix-ins” (chia seeds, ground flax seeds or hemp seeds) or additional rolled oats
• 1/2 cup nut butter of choice (we used almond butter)
• 1/3 cup sticky liquid sweetener of choice (honey or maple syrup)
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• rounded 1/2 cup mix-ins (see below for some options)

SUGGESTED RECIPE COMBINATIONS

• Any nut butter, honey, 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• Peanut butter, honey, 3 tablespoons chocolate chips, 3 tablespoons chopped peanuts, 2 tablespoons raisins

• Almond or cashew butter, honey, 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

• Replace 1/2 cup of the oatmeal with 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, almond butter, any sweetener, 1/4 cup chocolate chips, 1/4 cup chopped almonds

• Any nut butter, any sweetener, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, ADD 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

• Almond or cashew butter, maple syrup, 1/2 cup raisins, ADD 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

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Baby, it's HOT outside. So who wants to spend a bunch of time in the kitchen?

This time of year, we often rely on easy-prep, lighter meals to feed ourselves and our crews. One step-saving technique you may not have tried is to shred cooked chicken breast in your mixer.

It's super quick and you can use the shredded chicken in salads,  tacos, soup, barbecue, casseroles - whatever sounds good. It's great for a party, as you can shred a big pile of chicken in about a minute.

Not that you really need them....

1. ​Bake, grill or even slow-cook some chicken seasoned with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. Avoid seasoning with flavors that will compete with your planned uses.
2. Toss it into your mixer (use your SideSwipe :))
3. Turn on slow speed and mix until desired level of shreddedness (We know, it's not a word) is achieved.

Note: Some chunks will be smaller. We like to use those in a mayo-based chicken salad, pictured above. 

Refined Chicken Salad
Add to taste: shredded carrot, diced colored peppers, minced scallions and fresh dill. This simple recipe is great on its own or on a lovely croissant or fresh french bread rounds. Ours has the texture of tuna salad but is loaded with flavor and color. It never fails that people ask for the recipe!

This traditional French county dessert can be made in your mixer or with a blender. We, of course, made it in our mixer with a SideSwipe! It's not very photogenic, but, boy is it delicious! If you're not familiar with this dessert, it's a sort of baked custard studded with seasonal fruit. A clafoutis (also clafouti) is traditionally made with cherries, but  peaches and even blueberries, or a combination, can be used.

What we like best about clafoutis is that it tastes fabulous and it's super simple to make. Just be sure not to overbake it. For the best consistency, about 35 minutes is best; just watch for the edges to begin to turn golden brown. The center will still be a little jiggly (but not sloshing around). Don't worry, though, even if you bake it a little too long, it's still delicious.

We made this recipe without a trip to the store, so we used 2 percent milk for the milk and cream portions. It yielded a slightly less decadent clafoutis, but was still delicious. And a little less rich for those counting calories.

This recipe, from chezbonnefemme, uses a spiked whipped cream. We used plain.

This recipe serves about 6. The leftovers make a delicious breakfast, but it's not likely you'll find out. Our pan was scraped clean!

• 12-16 ounces pitted fresh sweet cherries
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy) or 1 tsp almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Sweetened Spiked Whipped Cream: Place 3/4 cup cold heavy cream into a chilled mixing bowl. Add 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar and 2 teaspoons kirsch (cherry brandy) or other cherry-flavored liqueur. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form.
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